If you want to lose weight by exercising more, take proteins, rather than carbohydrates, and preferably slow-absorbing proteins, such as casein, just before your workout starts. Protein supplementation not only increases your total calorie expenditure, but also your fat oxidation. American sports scientists at Lindenwood University discovered this.

Study
On 4 different occasions, the researchers got 11 male students to jog for 30 minutes on a treadmill with an intensity of 50-60 percent of their maximum heart rate. If you are fit, you can sustain that effort for a long time. You can also have a conversation.

Half an hour in advance the students received one shake with 25 grams of the carbohydrate maltodextrin [MAL], the other time a shake with 25 grams of whey [WPI], another time a shake with 25 grams of casein [CAS] and another time just plain water [CON].

The researchers conducted their tests in the morning. Before the students received their shake, they had not eaten anything.

Results
When the researchers determined how much energy the students used during the effort, they saw no difference between the groups. There were (perhaps not very convincing) differences between the origin of the energy. After taking whey, the students burned slightly less fat during the session.

More striking were the effects of the shakes 15 minutes after the session. Then the energy expenditure was higher if the students had consumed a portion of protein. Protein supplementation had at the same time increased fat oxidation.

Conclusion

The researchers did their study with the growing popularity of all sorts of fasting techniques among athletes and weight-lossers in mind. Look, they write in their article, if you want to lose weight, exercise after supplementation with proteins may work better than exercise after a period of fasting.

Sounds convincing, but you have to bear in mind that most athletes who combine fasting and exercise plan their meals after exercise. The researchers have not studied the effect of such a post workout meal.

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